Thanks
to the Internet there are literally volumes of information to be found on this
subject. Those interested in furthering their knowledge will find many valuable
resources online. Surprisingly not only men, but also more than a few
women don't completely understand or appreciate the process. This circumstance should
be of little surprise to anyone considering that there has been, and
continues to be a good deal of disagreement even among "experts" on the subject of female
orgasm.

The questions are innumerable...How does it happen? Is every woman able to have this
experience? What does climax feel like? Are there variations of orgasm? Why
does it take longer for females to achieve climax?

What happens during climax

After a
woman becomes sexually aroused, her heart beats faster while her breathing
quickens. Often, she'll tighten various muscles all over her body. Her breasts
usually enlarge somewhat, the nipples tend to stand out while the areolas
become noticeably enlarged. Some women flush red
on their face, neck and chest. The visible part of the clitoris also swells
slightly.

Secretions occur inside and at the opening
of the vagina. Her labia flatten and
open. The vagina lengthens and widens internally, changing what
was a potential space into more of an actual space. These
vaginal changes are mainly a result of a rush of blood to the pelvic area -- called
engorgement -- which
provides a generally pleasurable warmth in a female's genital area.

As her
arousal increases, so does engorgement as well as most of the changes mentioned above
becoming more pronounced. The one area that doesn't follow this pattern is the
clitoris. Instead of continually swelling, it actually begins to retract under
the clitoral hood and decreases in length by about 50%. This is a sign that orgasm is
imminent for most women, as long as optimal stimulation continues.

The orgasm
itself begins with strong muscle contractions. These contractions can be
finished within four seconds or last up to about 15 seconds. They tend to
occur at intervals of 0.8 seconds. Also, the inner two-thirds of the vagina
usually open up even more, while the uterus contracts.

During
orgasm, skin flushing generally reaches its maximum. Muscles may keep
contracting, while blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate continue to
rise. Some women make sounds reflecting the pleasure they are experiencing.

Signs confirming orgasm

Rhythmic muscle contractions
occur in the outer third of the vagina, the uterus and anus.
The first muscle contractions are the most intense, and occur at a rate of
about 1 per second. As the orgasm continues, the
contractions become less intense and occur at a more random rate.

A mild orgasm may have 3
-5 contractions, an intense orgasm 10 -15.

The "sex flush"
(redness) becomes even
more pronounced and may cover a greater percentage of the body.

Muscles throughout the body
may contract during orgasm, not just those in the pelvic area.

Some women will emit or
spray some fluid from their urethra during orgasm. This is often called female ejaculation.

A woman's facial expression
may indicate that she is in pain when she is having a pleasurable orgasm.

At the peak of orgasm the
entire body may become momentarily rigid.

What does orgasm feel like?

Women who have never
experienced orgasm, and women who are not sure if they have, often ask, "What
does an orgasm feel like?" This is a hard, if not impossible, question to
answer. Imagine trying to explain to someone what it feels like to sneeze or
yawn. Not easy to do. How our senses and brain interpret physical stimuli is
subjective, that is dependent solely on the individual's perceptions.
Subjective reports frequently mention a sensation of tingling in the spine,
brain, and genital areas. While some women relay an experience being on the
verge of
passing out, others report a level of enjoyment only somewhat less than that
of "the earth
moving". If a woman has experienced some
form of nerve damage, she may not be able to tell if she has had an orgasm.

Female
sensual receptors

Although it's true that the entire body
is in some way involved during climax, the key sensual receptor will always be
the clitoris. Without engaging the clitoris directly or indirectly, there can be
no prospect of orgasm. It seems difficult, particularly for men to understand
that something as diminutive as the clitoris could be so vitally important. How
could this tiny, almost external appendage be infinitely more sensitive than
the vagina itself?

Intuition would make you believe that the lining or
walls of the vagina are somehow more akin to the tip penis. Following that
logic these two matching
surfaces would engage one another during intercourse... resulting in ultimate mutual pleasure,
physically and emotionally. Yet for some reason mother nature has played a
trick. During intercourse primarily the emotional element comes into play, as the
female creates a physical union with male.

There is a simple but not necessarily well known
explanation for this circumstance. Unlike the glands of the
penis, the vagina has relatively few sensual receptors. Ironically, the deeper the
penetration, the fewer the receptors. The relatively few nerve receptors which
do exist in the vagina are actually located to the upper third; which in many women may be only
marginally sensitive at best.

For a woman to achieve climax the clitoris must be
stimulated in some fashion. This can be accomplished in two ways, directly or
indirectly. With the indirect method the males pubic bone may
push up against the clitoris while thrusting during intercourse. Or the penis may
rub against the vulva, which because of its proximity to the clitoris, may result
in indirect stimulation. Considering these circumstances it
should be evident that indirect stimulation of the clitoris is not very
efficient. It's actually a testimonial to the clitoris's remarkable sensitivity that
indirect stimulation is even sufficient to produce climax for about 30 -
40% of women. Depending on the result of any particular survey.

By most accounts the clitoris is the counterpart of the
tip or "glans" of the penis, with three primary differences: a) the urethra does not pass
though the clitoris. b) it's smaller in size. 3) it's significantly more sensitive
due to the greater number of nerve receptors (per square inch) than those
found on the glans of the
penis.

In this case it should be fair to assume that it's
not possible for the majority of women to reach climax solely as a result of
intercourse in the missionary position (face to face).

What might be the alternative?

Any position which allows the male partner easy and
unrestricted access to the clitoris. For example: with the male laying on his
back, and the female straddling his waist (facing him). In this position it's easily
possible for the female to engage in thrusting, while allowing the male to
directly stimulate her clitoris with his fingers.

Another alternative... more secure couples may decide
to engage in intercourse with the male entering from the rear. With the female
positioned in a forward kneeling position, she would have one hand free. This
would allow her to stroke her clitoris to the point of full climax in concert with
the thrusting action of her partner. The Application of this technique may
make it possible for the couple to coordinate their efforts of reaching that
elusive and highly prized "simultaneous" orgasm.